Theater-chair.



No. 694,990. Patented Mar. H, 1902.

M. REED. THEATER cums.

(Application filed June 3. 3301.)

(No Model.)

1w: unnms 9mm mlvum'uurnon wAsm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARSHALL REED, OF WHITMAN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO OLIVERH. WADE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TH EATER-CHAlR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 694,990, dated March11, 1902.

Application filed June 3, 1901.

To a. whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARSHALL REED,a citizen of the United States,residing at W'hitman,in the county of Plymouth, State of Mas- 5sachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inTheater-Chairs, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings. 1

The aim of the invention is to produce a chair, more especially designedfor use in theaters, halls, and the like places wherev seats occupyingfixed positions on the floor are employed, which shall be so constructedas to enable the occupant thereof'without rising from a sitting positionto shift his position rearwardly,and thereby make room for the passageof another person in front of the seated person, between the latter andanother seat or other object in front. This aim I attain by means of achair having a seat portion which is so combined and arranged as topermit the occupant of the chair without rising from a sitting positionto force said seat portion rearwardly relatively to the points ofattachment of the chair to the floor and afterward resume his formerposition. Preferably the chair is constructed so that the seat portionreturns automatically to its normal position as soon as the effort whichshifted it rearwardly is ended.

I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the best formthereof which I have yet contrived in the accompanying drawings, inwhich latter- Figure 1 shows in side elevation a chair containing thesaid embodiment with the seat portion in its normal position. Fig. 2 isa similar View showing the seat portion in its rearward position. Fig. 3is a sectional detail.

Having, reference to the drawings, the seat portion of a chair isdesignated a, the same being provided with a back I) and with arms 0.The form, character, arrangement,

' 850., of the seat portion may be varied as desired in practice... Anupright support for the said seat portion is represented at d, one ormore of such upright supports being ernployed in practice, as deemedadvisable. At

Serial No. 62,882. (No modele is shown a stand, which is fixed to thefloor fin convenient manner and to which the support d is attached.

The drawings show only one side of a chair- Preferably the supportingdevices for the seat portion are duplicated at the opposite sides of thechair.

The upright support (Z is connected with the seat portion a andstand ein a manner enabling the parts to move relative to one another. Hereinthe seat portion is shown formed with a depending bracket g, with whichthe upper portion of the support (I is connected by a pivot 72,,and thelower portion of the supportdis connected with stand e by means of apivot 2'. Pivot 1' allows the upright support (I to swing forwardly andrearwardly in a vertical plane, and pivot 7?. permits the seat portionto rock in a vertical plane relative to the upper portion of the uprightsupport. For the'purpose of holding the seat in the same positionrelative to the horizontal as the seat portion is shifted forward andbackward a rod or link is has the upper endthereof pivoted at Z' to thebracket 9 and the lower end thereof pivoted at m to the stand 6. Thesupportd and rod constitute, in effect, a parallelnnotion arrangement.The upper and lower ends of the support d are expanded widthwise to giveincreased bearing between the outer surface of the said support and thecontacting surfaces of the bracket 9 and stand 6, whereby tendency totwisting or turning of the parts relative to one anotheris obviated. Theupper portion of the support is formed with bearing-faces d d designedfor contact with the bearing-surface a on the seat portion a, and thelower portion thereof is formed with bearing-surfaces d at", makingcontact with surface 2 on stand (3. These bearing faces and surfacestake the weight and relieve the pivots at h and i, which preferably arerelied upon simply to connect the parts together. Surfaces d and d areformed at an obtuse angle with respect to each other, and the same istrue of surfaces 61 61 These surfaces d d d d by their. contact with thesurfaces (1 and e limit the extent of forward and rearward movement ofthe seat portion' I00 a. The middle of the length of the support (Z hasapplied thereto a screw or bolt n, work ing in a slot 0 in the upperportion of the stand e, the said slot being concentric with pivot z, thesaid screw or bolt receiving a nut 11 and washer 11 by means of whichthe support is held close against the side of the stand 6. Acushioning-washer p of suitable material (rubber, leather, or the like)is applied to the body or stem of the screw or bolt n Within slot 0, andby its contact with the ends of slot 0 slightly before faces d d and d(1 bring up against their coacting surfaces in the back and forthmovements of the seat por tion and upright support 01 arrests themovement of the latter parts without noise.

The parts are arranged in practice to gravitate forward into theposition in which they are represented in Fig. 1, which is the naturalor normal position thereof. A slight effort by the occupant of the chairexerted, for instance, by pressure of his foot against the floor willcarry the seat portion rearward into the position which is representedin Fig. 2. When such effort is relaxed, the seat portion resumes itsforward position. Preferably in practice it is arranged so that in therearward position of the seat portion the pivot h shall be a little tothe front of a vertical line passing through the pivot 71.

While I have been thus particular to describe the construction andarrangement which are shown in the accompanying drawings, I wish it tobe understood that so far as the broad principles of the invention areconcerned I do not limit myself to the said coustruct-ion andarrangement inasmuch as such principles admit of being variouslyembodied.

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination, the fixed stand having theslot 0, the seat portion, the support d loosely connected with saidstand and seat portion, and the screw or bolt 01 applied to said supportand working in said slot, said seat tending normally to assumearelatively advanced position and having capacity for being temporarilyshifted rearward to afford increased space in front of the chair,substantially as described.

2. In combination, the fixed stand having the slot 0 and thebearing-surface e, the seat portion having the bearing-surface a, thesupport d loosely connected with said stand and seat portion, and havingthe bearingfaces d d d d, the screw or bolt n applied to said supportand working in said slot and the link is, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the fixed stand having the slot 0 and thebearing-surface e, the seat portion having the bearing-surface a, thesupport d loosely connected with said stand and seat-support, having thebearing-faces d d (1 (Z and the screw or bolt 11 applied to saidsupport, working in said slot, and the cushion applied in connectionwith said screw or bolt, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARSHALL REED.

Witnesses:

CHAS. F. RANDALL, WILLIAM A. COPELAND.

